Minister calls for a European standard for mobile tv

Europe must not lag behind the rest of the world in taking mobile TV into everyday use. We need at least one mobile TV network with a single common standard throughout the EU in order to serve markets right across Europe.

Finland's Minister of Transport and Communications, Susanna Huovinen, drew particular attention to the development of mobile TV in an international seminar on the information society held in Finland on 28 September.

"At present, the mobile TV sector is trying to select a single technical standard. Today the policy-makers and decision-takers attending this seminar have also emphasised the importance of having a common standard in order to develop the European information society," Ms Huovinen pointed out.

"I am glad that in Finland we now have a bill before Parliament which will help to clarify the operating environment and to start commercial mobile TV activities, possibly already at the beginning of next year," she said.

The European Commission is going to publish a communication on mobile TV development next year. Ms Huovinen discussed the matter with Viviane Reding, European Commissioner for Information Society and Media, who also took part in the seminar.

In addition to the need for a common standard, the development of mobile TV also depends on finding suitable broadcasting frequencies. This will be dealt with in connection with the Commission's review of European communications legislation.

Advancing the EU information society programme

The seminar at which Ms Huovinen spoke was held in the Dipoli conference centre in Espoo, as part of a two-day information society conference linked to Finland's Presidency of the EU. The i2010 programme conference was arranged by Finland's Ministry of Transport and Communications, the European Commission, and ENISA, the European Network and Information Security Agency.

Presidency Conclusions about the development of the EU information society were published in connection with the conference. They included policy guidelines for the main activities involved in the EU's i2010 information society strategy. The conclusions will be presented at the Council of Telecommunications Ministers in December.

The seminar used practical examples to consider the implications of the development of the information society and the use of new technologies on European competitiveness.

Some 300 leading policy-makers and specialists from Europe and Japan attended the seminar.

Further information:

Ms Kristiina Pietikäinen, Deputy Director-General, Communications Department, tel. +358 9 160 28676
Ms Jaana Beversdorf, Chief Information Officer, Press and Information Unit,
tel. +358 9 160 28334 or +358 9 40 527 2599

Material from the seminar, including video recordings, can be found at www.i2010.fi